


Patch It Up

by ButterflyArrows



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: M/M, i wrote in this less than 24 hours!, welp this is another one am idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 18:10:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16269614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButterflyArrows/pseuds/ButterflyArrows
Summary: This is an alternate version of the episode Patch, where Megatron enters Starscream's mind to figure out his true motivations are. In this version, Starscream is braver, and fights back.





	Patch It Up

"We will soon find out, Starscream's true intentions..."

These words, spoken by Megatron, were the last words heard by Starscream before the cortical physic patch took effect. After drifting away from the present reality, Starscream was met with his ever so familiar mindscape.

Sure enough, like clockwork, a Megatron of Starscream's own thought came to being.

"You have failed me yet again," boomed the familiar voice. "Prepare to meet your consequences."

As Megatron charged, Starscream merely took a step to the side, neatly avoiding his attack. "My, my," He tsked. "I do say I think you are the disappointment today."

With that, Starscream led an attack himself, first shifting to his jet form. Mindscapes were inclined to fulfil the imagination, no matter if the T Cog presently resided within him. He unleashed a barrage of gunfire upon Megatron, forcing his so called master into a corner.

It was there Starscream made his final attack. Unsheathing his claws, he scratched Megatron's worn torn visage. "This is for everything you have done to me," Starscream hissed, striking again, an uppercut. "And for everything you _are_ doing to me." That was accompanied by a straight punch. "And this is for the person you forced me to become!" His final words said to his former ally were joined with Starscream's final attack; a roundhouse kick that neatly sliced off his imaginary opponent's head. He let out a deep sigh as the particles drifted off into the nowhere of his mind. Killing Megatron, even if it wasn't real, still remained cathartic.

"Well, aren't you a violent one these days."

Starscream spun around, astounded at what he heard and saw. The Megatron that now stood before him was no illusion. His first urge was to run, as fast as possible. But then he realized there was nowhere to escape.

"You're...you're in my head, aren't you?" Starscream asked meekly. Whatever power he thought he held just a moment ago was gone. Megatron happened to have that effect.

"Yes, very astute of you to realize," Megatron said before a pause, to examine his surroundings. "Is this chamber meant for my death?"

In order to gain some more time to think about his reply, Starscream also looked around. Megatron was right, they were in a place solely meant for his doom, demise, and overall destruction. Every door lining the long chamber was playing a version of Megatron's death Starscream dreamt about. He gestured to a few as he spoke, "Yes, and as you can tell, I've gotten rather creative with it."  
Megatron nodded, stepping closer to one. "That much I can gather. What exactly is happening in this one?"

Taking care to leave a fair bit of distance between them, Starscream joined Megatron. "Oh, this is an old one, one of my first. Back on Cybertron, actually. I imagined that I could defeat you in your own domain, the gladiator pits."

Megatron studied the footage a moment longer before asking, "Why did you imagine this? What caused it?"

"After our attack on Sentinel Prime. As soon as we parted ways, I started to think of ways I could destroy you, therefore ruling the Decepticons."

"Ah, of course. Which you wanted to do ever since the war began. You chose what was the winning side... because you wanted to reform Cybertron yourself. You had no interest in the war itself, you just wanted to win so you could gain power." Megatron stopped talking for a moment, as he went down the endless row of doors, peering at what knowledge they contained. "You wanted to bring back the true Golden Age, and in order that you needed power, and the Decepticons were your best option."

Stunned for a moment Starscream couldn't even think of what to think yet alone say. "How..." He muttered, mostly to himself, before his voice became stronger. "How did you know about what I wanted?"

"You pretty much told me," Megatron continued to stare at the door he faced. "Your wings are rather...expressive."

Feeling them own dip with the shame he felt, Starscream felt inclined to agree with that point. "But how, _why,_ would you remember that?"

At that question, Megatron looked Starscream right in the optic. "You were my first lieutenant. And I could have chosen Soundwave, my most loyal and oldest partner, for that post. So, why do you think I bothered picking you?"

Starscream tried four responses, getting both angrier and more desperate at each one, "Because I commanded the Seekers? Because of my science and military knowledge? Because I would keep you on guard? Because...because I was a pretty plaything for you? _What was it?_ "

Silence dominated the mind chamber. Megatron was in thought once again and remained to be for some time. Starscream was ready fearing what would happen to him after they were removed from the patch's connection. At long last, Megatron answered the final question. "I don't know. There were many factors...some of which you described quite clearly." 

The conversation shifted once Megatron gestured once again to the many doors. "Tell me about some of these."

"Well," Starscream began walking and, to his surprise, Megatron followed. "Some of them are standard, the normal ways of murder you could say. A sniper, murder in your sleep, poison in your energon, a simple stab in the back...and there are the more complicated ones."

"These, I put more thought into. What you saw before this was your basic example but if I added in, for instance, me killing Optimus Prime before killing you so you would have to watch me do what you never could..." He paused for a breath and a shrug. "Could have been a more interesting one."

Megatron nodded as he listened and stopped at another door. "Mind describing this one to me?"

After seeing briefly what the footage was showing, Starscream quickly stepped between Megatron and the screen. "Nothing!" He exclaimed before seeing the look on Megatron's face. "Okay fine. It was a shot through the chest, non-fatal. And uh, then I forced your dying body to suck my spi-actually, you can see where that went, I'm not going to finish that sentence."

"Wise choice. And a creative instance of my...demise." Megatron tilted his helm to the side slightly. "Wherever did you come up with it?"

"During a commanders meeting. At around Soundwave's seventy-fifth slide in his weekly slideshow." 

"That is...understandable." Megatron stepped away from Starscream, taking in the overwhelming number of deaths in one room, for one person. "You are being rather honest with me. That is no way to be sure I will allow you to become a Decepticon once again. It doesn't seem to be in your best interest in the slightest."

"You have given me little chance for success. After all the moment you entered my mind, my fate was sealed. I plan to go out without keeping many of my unnecessary secrets."

With his next words, Megatron showed no recognition of acknowledging Starscream's statement; "Show me what else your mind contains. Show me your memories."

Starscream wasn't fazed with the sudden leap of subject matter. He was used to that by now. But what was puzzling was why Megatron would have any desire or need to see such things. "It depends which era you would like to see. My most recent history is mentally within the Harbinger if you would like to start there."

With a nod from Megatron as approval, Starscream switched the mindscape to just outside the place he temporarily called home.

"Did you destroy what remained?" Megatron asked, surveying the fallen vessel.

"I didn't have the time for that. My plan to get the relics from the Autobots was quite unforgiving in terms of time."

"I will make a note to properly dispose of whatever technology remains," Megatron spoke for his own benefit. As always he was thinking about the war effort. "I would hate if Autobots happened to find such a ready base of operations."

Making no reply, Starscream merely waved his arm slightly, bringing them inside the ship. More specifically, within the ship's vault. Inside of the doors that lined the previous chamber, this room was full of datapads, each logged with a certain set of memories. Megatron picked up one, promptly sending the rest of the pile crashing onto the floor. “Well,” He said, feeling a little awkward at the mess. “You have an interesting method of organization.” 

“It was a chaotic time,” Starscream mentioned, kneeling to pick up the various memories. “Makes sense it would be catalogued in such a matter.” 

Megatron had seen Starscream on his knees many times. Quite often it was during a plea for his life, or after a particularly brutal beating. It was a vulnerable position, both physically and emotionally, but Starscream was not using it to seek mercy. He was simply retrieving something which had fallen onto the floor. Something inside Megatron’s spark twisted, forcing him to feel some sort of regret, something he couldn’t quite place. 

While Megatron was having these thoughts, Starscream finished picking up the fallen datapads. “There,” He said, placing them neatly on a nearby table. “Feel free to pursue the collection.” 

They both started going through the stacks, not speaking with each other about the matter. Swatches of audio, much of it merely Starscream’s past self-rambling, echoed throughout the hollow room, every now and then as they checked various files. Megatron found a stash of memories of the day Starscream’s clones rose. He watched them with mild amusement. “Where did you get such an idiotic idea?” He asked, staring at the footage. “You knew something so ridiculous could never have succeeded.” 

Starscream slid a datapad across the table. On it, a video of Starscream, presumably after the failed attack, played. He was in a rage at first, flinging bits of equipment across the room, but then he mellowed out into a state of depression. Slumping down against a wall, with dipped wings, he clutched his knees tightly to his chest. The audio of the video displayed perfectly what he muttered to himself; “I’m an idiot,” He said in a tight voice. “It was a stupid plan, a stupid, stupid, plan. There was no chance it could have worked so why, in the name of fragging Primus, did I try it?” 

After that, Starscream paused the video for Megatron, before going back to his own stacks of memories. “You know what I didn’t expect when I was alone?” He asked, not expecting an answer. “I was the only one that could call me an idiot. And that hurt less.” 

Megatron let those words hang in the air; there was nothing he could say to that, no witty remark or reply for something so…emotional. He realized something, however. Something had been in the back of his mind ever since they began their mental exploration. “You haven’t been calling me by the titles you usually use.” He commented, feeling puzzled about it. A trivial thing, yes, but it had been one of Starscream’s constant behaviours. 

“Hey, it’s my mind,” He snapped back, shifting through datapads. “I shouldn’t have to do it here.” 

“However valid that logic, it still remains that the fact is, I’m the one deciding your fate.” He paused before saying one of his suspicions. “You don’t want to be a Decepticon again, do you.” 

Starscream spoke, so quietly, Megatron had to ask him to repeat it. “I said that you’re wrong.” He spoke louder now, but a tremor remained in his words. “I do want to be a Decepticon and I brought you those keys to prove it, just as I said.”

“Then why are you doing this? Why are you being so honest, so free, when you know what will happen?” Megatron clenched his fist. His anger was increasing by the moment. It had been a long time since he saw Starscream, and even longer since this side of him was exposed. 

Stepping closer, Starscream spoke again, “All of these memories will show you how I felt when I went solo. I had my moments of failure, my moments of shame, but throughout it all, I was more powerful than I ever was under your command.” 

“And even if you let me live,” Starscream continued, “I will never be that powerful, that free, again. Not under your command. I want to be on your side because I know you will be able to revive Cybertron, and that would get me closer to my original goal.”

Megatron was becoming more and more enraged by the moment, but he was also enjoying this side of Starscream. “That didn’t answer my question. You are quite the groveler, and it has worked on me before. Why not go back to your old tricks? Is it your worthless pride? For once in your life, you decide to be honourable?” 

“Yes,” Starscream said simply with a characteristic shrug. “Are you done here then? Have you made your decision?” 

Megatron was about to reply when another datapad caught his attention. Picking it up, he studied the image of Starscream, clearly comming someone. He was enjoying the conversation, which was clearly displayed by his expressions of happiness. “Who were you talking to?” He asked, more curious than anything else. 

“Knock Out,” Starscream admitted with a sigh. “Don’t take it out on him. I was lonely that night, I missed the Nemesis, and I missed him.” 

“Oh,” Megatron said, putting some mental dots together. “I wasn’t aware you two were…together.” Feeling a mixture of confusion, sadness, and anger, Megatron avoided looking at Starscream. 

“No!” Starscream all but shouted, before calming down. “No, we just needed each other sometimes. After Breakdown, especially. He just told me some of what was happening on the ship lately, nothing more.” 

Megatron now studied Starscream’s wings to verify the truth within his statement. Sure enough, the right wing was twitching slightly. “Starscream, how did you get on this ship to deliver the Omega Keys to me?” When no reply was given, he spoke further. “It was Knock Out, wasn’t it.” 

“It was,” He sighed, putting the datapad back on a stack. “He gave me access but he didn’t know my plan. He didn’t hear about any of my plans, not from me. Now, let me ask you a question. Why didn’t you locate me, when I disappeared?” 

“If I found out, which I would have, there would be nothing I could do to prevent your death.” 

“But that’s what you wanted. That’s what you want to do _now._ " Starscream saw the look on Megatron’s face. He wasn’t going to get an answer to his question, and the subject was dropped.

Taking a final glance around the mindscape of what was once a home to him, Starscream felt the urge to go to another home of his. Which explains why they were both transported to yet another area of his mind. “It’s Vos,” He realized, recognizing the shiny landscape. The city was empty, completely fond of any other persons. “Before the war. This is where some of my earliest memories are kept.”

Startled by the change of location, Megatron just nodded. “Since we’re in the city of flying…” He started, and then trailed off, as Starscream already was in the air. Megatron watched for a moment, seeing the nimble jet cut through the clouds leaving behind a signature contrail. It was beautiful, he couldn’t deny that fact.

Megatron knew Starscream lost his T Cog, thanks to one of the many memories, but now he could see just how much it was affecting the Seeker. A Seeker without wings was like a Scraplet without metal; doomed. It couldn’t have been easy, going through as a neutral party without wings. Megatron always knew he respected Starscream to a degree, although that degree constantly changed, this example was a powerful one. Starscream managed, with limited equipment, to rob the Autobots, and get aboard the cloaked Decepticon warship, which was impressive in its own right. And then, we confronted within his own mind, with his termination being a high possibility, he still stuck to his guns. 

_I still love him._

There were a lot of realizations Megatron had in life, ones that shook him to his core. This, although it seems to be trivial, was one of them. Feeling numb now, Megatron could only stare up at Starscream’s graceful form, as his thoughts continued on. He knew he once felt love towards Starscream, albeit a very lustful type of love. He used to have dreamlike thoughts, when he couldn’t force himself to recharge, where he imagined them living together, after the war. When the war for Cybertron ended, those dreams ended with it. The Nemesis was colder and darker, and he had too much responsibility to bother with romantic visions. He had…sexual encounters with Starscream every once in a while, but those were for heat related needs. Sometimes he enjoyed the company of Soundwave but those times were rare. Pleasurable, as Soundwave was a rather good source of comfort, but too rare to conclude any data from the experiences. Megatron wasn’t a supporter of love. He never was, given his history and upbringing (or rather, lack of). Orion Pax and Starscream were the two mechs he felt the closest towards in that regard, and one of them no longer in existence while the other was a quagmire in the shape of a mech.  
He was good, however, at suppressing emotions. Which he planned to do in this situation. Transforming into his own alt mode, Megatron joined Starscream in the sky. “Well?” The Seeker asked, effortlessly performing loops. “Did you make your decision?” 

“Take me somewhere,” Megatron ignored the question in favour of flying around in small circles. Less fancy than loops, but he didn’t want to make a fool out of himself. Not then.  
In response, Starscream started flying, and Megatron followed. They flew, in the sparkling city belonging to the Seekers. Megatron found it hideously deceptive; once you rubbed at that shiny finish, the ugliness of the city’s elitism shone. After a couple of minutes of high speed flying, they found themselves at the outskirts of Vos, where many non Seeker fliers lived and crime thrived. Starscream led them to an old tower and transformed so he was sitting on top of it. 

“I used to race here,” He commented, as Megatron too sat. “It was illegal but I was young then. I won a lot of the time, scored myself some enemies with my gloating about it.”  
“You? Gloating? I couldn’t imagine it for a moment.” 

Ignoring the biting comment, Starscream looked over his old city, his original home. Which, in present reality, laid a heap of rubble and smouldered remains. Crystal City, where he studied, was no more either. All of those he mentored, and those that mentored him, were gone. Solenoid, his first lover, was dead. His friends, Thundercracker and Skywarp were as well. His life on Cybertron disappeared as soon as the war first started. He knew this, but it still managed to hurt him. 

“I’m not going to show you anything else,” Starscream said, still looking at the view. “I refuse to tell you anything else.” 

“Very well,” Megatron spoke. Those were the last words he said within the confines of Starscream’s mind. 

When Starscream awoke, Knock Out was holding a blade to his throat. “You sold me out, you backstabbing glitch in the-“ He stopped himself, and lowered the weapon. “Wait, are you _crying?_ Here I am, playing out what I’m going to say to you for what seems like aeons and here you are crying your optics out.” 

“Shut up,” Starscream snapped, trying in vain to stop the flood that dripped down his faceplate. “I’m going to die in a matter of moments, let me have this.” 

“If you do, it would be by Knock Out’s hand, not mine.” Megatron was awake as well, standing over Knock Out’s shoulder. “Although, doctor, I would advise you to not to murder my first lieutenant.” 

Knock Out slyly took his leave as Starscream had a moment of exclamation. “But Dreadwing! Dreadwing holds that post!”

“He did, once,” Megatron unsheathed his blade, examining it closely. “And you did as well. He can learn to be satisfied, I will find him some other form of command.” 

Megatron turned to leave, but just outside the doors, he turned slightly, to say something. “After you wipe your tears, come to my chambers. We have private matters to attend to.”  
__


End file.
